The 5 biggest Arkansas high school head football coaching hires in 2024

These five coaches were major gets for their programs

New Sheridan head coach Kevin Kelley /

The 2024 Arkansas high school football offseason was an eventful one. The coaching carousel moved early and often, and what started in December just after the season ended didn’t finish until spring football was underway in May in some cases. Not only were there many moves, but there were some blockbusters. Below is a list of the five biggest coaching hires this offseason.

1. Kevin Kelley, Sheridan

This hire may be the biggest coup in Arkansas prep football history and is one of the bigger hires in prep football nationally this year. Kelley, the ultra-successful analytics guru fresh off a break after one year in the collegiate ranks, takes over a program with little winning tradition. Many wondered why Kelley, who won nine state championships in 18 years at Pulaski Academy, would take that job but one to never back to down from a challenge, he’s gone all in and brings his recipe of no punting and onside kicks to Grant County. It won’t be easy, but at least for Yellowjackets fans they have some hope with one of the better high school coaches of all-time in the country leading their program. It was a mammoth hire by all involved in the Sheridan administration.

2. Tommy Tice, Farmington

The 72-year-old Tice came out of retirement in May to succeed J.R. Eldridge, who laid a successful foundation for the Cardinals. In 42 years at Harrison and his native Huntsville, Tice racked up 289 wins, which is third all-time in state history. Not only is Tice coming out of retirement, but he is also bringing offensive coordinator Mark Whatley with him. Whatley was a head coach at Rison, Ashdown, Jacksonville and Newport. Tice is retaining Cardinals defensive coordinator Casey Moreland, who served as head coach at Melbourne. That’s a lot of experience leading a program that has been trending in the right direction under Eldridge. It’s uncertain how long Tice will continue to coach, but he seems to be the right fit for right now with a team that is primed to win the 5A-West Conference and challenge to make a deep run in the playoffs.

3. Van Paschal, Cross County

Paschal surprised many by leaving Heber Springs after one season after guiding the over-achieving Panthers to second place in the 4A-2 Conference. Paschal, who is tied with Wynne head coach Clay Totty for the most wins among active coaches with 247, returns to Northeast Arkansas after the Wynne administration chose not to bring him back as head coach after the 2022 season.

Cross County was 6-4 last fall and returns mammoth defensive lineman Danny Beale, a Division I recruit. Paschal’s task this year is installing his run-oriented flex bone offense transitioning from the spread offense the Thunderbirds had run. Paschal knows how to win and proved last year he can achieve surprising success in one year.  

4. Daryl Patton, White Hall

Since leaving Fayetteville in 2015 things haven’t been easy for the Bryant native. His Bulldogs teams won four state titles and went 116-43-2 from 2003-15.

He breathed some life into the Class 4A Bauxite program from 2016-19 going 9-3 in 2018 with a playoff win and 6-5 with a playoff appearance in his final season.

For the past four seasons, Patton coached at Little Southwest, a startup program, and could only muster a 6-31 mark.

He gets a fresh slate at a program that has seen success over the past decade but has endured some adversity as of late. Last summer, second-year coach Ryan Mallett, a former Arkansas star quarterback and NFL backup, drowned while on vacation in Florida. Interim head coach Jason Mitchell guided the Bulldogs to a 4-6 campaign last fall.

White Hall has some talent, and the district has gone all in on its facilities. This is a win/win.

5. Clint Ashcraft, Vilonia

Ashcraft stepped away from coaching at Conway to become the school’s athletic director after going 68-36 in nine seasons with three conference titles. He was a very good AD hiring football coaches Keith Fimple and Buck James to keep the Wampus Cats program at a high level. But after six years Ashcraft, who finished 68-37 as a head coach at Siloam Springs, decided this offseason to return to coaching. Vilonia was the perfect fit because of its proximity to Conway inside Faulkner County and the house Ashcraft built.

The success Ashcraft had at Conway is one thing, but the most impressive part of his resume is that he won nearly 70 games at Siloam Springs. Not many coaches have had the kind of success he had with the Panthers, and the program has struggled since he left. There are some similarities with Siloam Springs and Vilonia, which have been conference foes, but Vilonia has had some football success. Just two years ago, the Eagles were 9-2 and second in the 5A-West. Look for a rejuvenated Ashcraft, with his sophomore son Coleson,  to give the program a shot in the arm and set a tone to win consistently.

--Nate Olson | nate@scorebooklive.com | @ndosports